Building block



June 3, 1952 H, wEl-rz, JR 2,598,867

BUILDING BLOCK Filed Feb. 1o, 195o 9 f y 7' .9 7 f6 Y f6 v a f :FIE- 4 INVENTOR. 7 LEw\s H.WE\TZ,J2.

A11-011MB@ Patented June 3, 1952 BUILDING BLOCK v Lewis H. Weitz, Jr., Wampum, Pa. l Application February 10, 1950, Serial No. 143,417

(o1. zii-i) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in building blocks and the wall structures formed thereby, and more particularly to improved hollow building blocks formed by securing together, as by nailing or screwing together several pieces, plates, or boards of wood or other nailable composition material, the primary object of the invention being to provide hollow building blocks of this kind which are adapted to be laid and arranged like ordinary bricks or building blocks, with the improved blocks nailed together in superimposed courses of overlapping blocks, so as to form strong :and durable but inexpensive wall structures.

Another important object of the invention is to providel a building block of the characterl indicated above involving spaced sidewalls arranged to rest upon the upper edges of similar sidewalls of subjacent blocks whereby the weight of the wall is imposed onthe sidewalls rather than upon the nails or screws assembling the components of the blocks; and wherein a foreshortened top plate or wall is provided which affords -spaces at the ends of the block in which a tool, such as an ordinary hammer, can be freely operated to drive nails or screws downwardly through end portions of the bottom wall or plate of the block for connecting the block to a subjacent block or to a sill.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein merely for purposes of illustration herein, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in details.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of partially formed walls intersecting in a corner, in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of such a wall.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the une 3 3 of Figure 2; and,

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, each block 5 is elongated rectangular in form and preferably but not necessarily square in cross section, and is composed of inner and outer side plates E and 1, respectively, and a bottom plate 8 which are similar in size, and a shorter top plate 9 having ends I9 which are spaced inwardly from the ends of the block to provide space I I for the operation of a tool, such as a hammer, for driving nails downwardly through end portions of the bottom plate 8.

These plates are pieces of board or of nailable composition material, of desired thickness.

The lower edge portions of the side plates 6 and 'I are abutted with the side edges I2 of the bottom plate 8 and are secured thereto by nails or screws I3 driven through the side plates with the edges I2 at longitudinally spaced intervals, as shown in Figure l. The upper edge portions of the side plates are abutted to the side edges of the abbreviated top plate 9 and screws I5 are driven through the side plates into the top plate edges I4. The upper and lower edges I6 and I1, respectively, of the side plates 5 and 6 are level with the upper and lower surfaces of the top plate 9 and bottom plate 8, respectively.

A wall in accordance with the present invention is formed by laying a horizontal course of blocks 5 in end to end relation, either upon a sill IB or upon a subjacent course of blocks 5. In the latter case the blocks 5 of the upper course are staggered with respect to the blocks of the subjacent course, as shown in Figures 1 and 3,

whereby upper blocks 5 straddle the conjoined ends of the lower blocks. Nails I9 are driven downwardly through end portions of the bottom plate 8 by wielding a hammer or other tool in the spaces II, so as to connect blocks either to the sill I8 or to the top plates 9 of subjacent block-s.

In forming a corner between right angularly intersecting walls, the open ends of the nal blocks 5 at the intersecting ends of the walls are closed by nailing extra plates 2U on the ends of the side and bottom walls, as indicated at 2|.

What is claimed is:

1. A hollow building block comprising laterally spaced vertical side plates, a horizontal bottom plate substantially coextensive with said side plates with lower edge portions of the inner sides of said side plates secured in abutting relation to the side edges of said bottom plate, and a horizontal top plate shorter than said side plates and having ends longitudinally spaced inwardly from the ends of said side plates, upper portions ci the inner sides of said side plates being secured in abutting relation to the side edges of said top plate, opposite end portions of said bottom plate being exposed at the ends of said top plate to afford nail receiving areas through which nails are adapted to be driven downwardly by a tool manipulated in the spaces provided by the spacing of the ends of -said top plate from the ends of the top plate and plates.

2. A wall composed of upper and lower superimposed horizontal courses, eaoh course consisting of a plurality of blocks arranged in end to edges, said top plate being substantially shorter than the bottom plate with the ends of the top plate longitudinally spaced from the ends of the bottom plate and exposing nailing areas at the opposite ends of said bottom plate, blocks of the upper course being laid upon and overlapping two adjacent blocks of the lower course with their l5 bottom plates resting upon the top plates of the adjacent lower course blocks, and nails driven downwardly through the nailing areas of the bottom plates of the upper course blocks into the top plates of adjacent lower course blocks.

LEWIS H. WEITZ, JR.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 786,884 FaulknerV Apr. 11, 1905 27,280,687 Connelly Apr. 21, 1942 2,362,162 Sheldon Nov. '7, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,140 Switzerland Mar. 14, 1895 

